The SECRET to Ballpoint Pens
Want to unlock the secrets of the ballpoint pen? Want to know why it's called a ballpoint pen? What does the ball do in a ballpoint pen? You came to the right place!
What is your favourite ballpoint pen? Is it a collectors item? Or just a regular Bic pen? Leave it in the comments below!
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YouTube, it's Cram. How does a ballpoint pen work? It seems simple right? You start writing and ink comes out, easy as that. Well, its a bit more complicated than you think. Have you ever wondered why all the ink doesn't come out at once? Or why it doesn't spill when you don't use it? Well, the answer lies in the name itself. A ballpoint pen has a small ball in the tip, or point. This is typically made of a very hard metal, like tungsten carbide. This ball is fairly secure, but when you write with pressure, the ball rolls. The ink is stored in a narrow cartridge, which leads up to this ball so when the ball rolls ink comes out, because there is enough space beside the ball, and the ink adheres, or sticks to the ball just a little bit, and so the ball applies the ink to the paper. So how come it doesn't spill through these cracks otherwise? It is because of surface tension and cohesion. Ink is typically very cohesive and has a lot of surface tension, so it will stay together unless it is forced apart, and a small ball is enough to do just that. I hope you enjoyed this quick explanation! Subscribe to stay up to date on all my new videos, and until next time, Cram out.
Tungsten Carbide is a compound made up of Tungsten and Carbon. Tungsten is a very hard metal, used in bullet proof plating. This is typically found in Bic Cristal pens, but I am unsure about other makes and brands.
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